Cleaning device



J. C. GIBBS CLEANING DEVICE May 8, 1934.

Filed July 28, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet l 8 40044 601, (fob/7 (7 676A? J. c. GIBBS 1,957,638

CLEANING DEVICE Filed July 28, 1931 May 8, 1934.

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Patented May 8, 1934 UNITE. STATES PATENT FFICE Anchor Cap & Closure Corporation,

Long

Island City, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 28, 1931, Serial No. 553,567

27 Claims.

The present invention relates to polishing devices, and more particularly to a machine for cleaning and polishing closure caps or similar articles.

In the manufacture of closure caps and the like, the blanks for the articles are stamped from fiat sheet metal material, and are then rolled into proper form. A cardboard liner is inserted within the finished cap after being cut from a l0 strip of liner material. Frequently, a lubricant is applied to the sheet metal to facilitate the stamping operation which soils or dulls the finish of the lacquered cap. In addition, the cutting of the liner material, as well as the other operations, cause considerable dust and small particles of paper to accumulate and lodge within and on the cap. This is objectionable due to the fact that these particles fall into the contents of the jar when the cap is applied to it, thereby contamizo nating the product packed under the cap.

The present invention aims to provide a polishing machine which is adapted to be attached to or aflixed in line with the machine manufacturing the caps to receive and polish the caps and remove any objectionable particles or materials, either on the exterior or interior of the cap. In addition, the invention aims to eliminate any clogging of the caps in passing through the machines, and to provide a machine which will operate efiiciently at high speeds, thereby making it unnecessary to slow down the machines utilized for making the caps.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple inexpensive machine for polishing closure caps and the like.

Another object of the invention is to minimize the labor and expense required in the manufacture of closure caps.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine readily adapted to be used in combination with existing cap manufacturing. machines, transferring mechanisms, and counting devices.

Another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive machine which will polish closure caps at a rapid rate without manual supervision.

Another object of the invention is to provide delivery means which are resiliently held in position and in engagement with the articles transferred across the polishing devices, whereby the caps will not be crushed and positive delivery thereof is insured.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic mechanism for polishing articles such as closure caps, and delivering them to the succeeding operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a polishing machine which may be readily adjusted to accommodate various sizes of closure caps or similar articles.

A further object of the invention is to provide a substantially enclosed polishing machine, and means for exhausting dust or other foreign substances thereirom and from the articles delivered thereto.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine shown in Fig. 1, certain parts being omitted for simplicity;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 1, with parts shown in elevation;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the delivery end of the machine;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 66 of Fig. 5.

Described generally, the present invention comprises a base upon which the various parts are mounted-and a vertical column extending upwardly from the central portion of the base having a shaft disposed therein. A rotatable disc is mounted at the upper end of the shaft and a suitable drive mechanism is operatively connected at the other end of the shaft. The disc is covered with a suitable polishing material for wiping closure caps and the like when placed thereon. A belt member having projecting arms connected thereto at intervals, extends transversely across the disc for conveying the caps and delivering them to the succeeding operation. Suitable members are provided for guiding the caps while being transf rred by the belt member. These members are, preferably, resiliently mounted so that the caps cannot jam within the polishing devices. The polishing and transferring members are enclosed within a casing provided with a conduit for exhausting dust and other foreign substances.

Referring again to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown a machine having a base 1 formed from a suitable casing and adapted to be anchored to the floor or other suitable foundation. Substantially at the central portion of the base, there is provided a vertical column 2 having a shaft 4 disposed therein. The lower end of the shaft is operatively connected to a drive, which will be described in detail hereinafter, whereby the shaft is rotated.

A suitable disc 5 is secured to the upper end of the shaft 4 and is supported upon the column 2 by means of ball-bearings 6. The upper surface of the disc 5 is covered with a sheet of polishing material 7, which may be sheep skin, felt, chamois, or other suitable material, the former being preferred due to its soft and durable qualities. The polishing material is secured upon the d sc in any suitable manner so that it will not wrinkle. This may be done by placing the polishing material over the disc and securing the outer periphery thereof to the under side of the periphery of the disc.

At one end of the machine, a table portion 9 is mounted upon the base 1 and provided with an upper portion 11 substantially at the same level as the disc 5 upon which the caps are delivered. The portion 11 is resiliently mounted upon the table 9 by means of spring members 12 for receiving the articles from a belt conveyor. In the present instance, these articles are illustrated as closure caps which are, preferably, placed upon the table in inverted position. At the other end of the machine, a table 14 is provided for receiving the caps from the disc member 5 after they have been polished. At the outer edge of the table 14, a chute 15 may be attached whereby the caps are delivered to a shipping carton, or to a succeeding operation.

The present invention contemplates feeding the caps at one end of the machine, conveying them across the polishing disc whereby they are cleaned, and then delivering them at the other end of, the machine. To effect the automatic conveyance of the caps, a conveyor mechanism 16 is provided which extends across the polishing disc 5 from the receiving table 11 to the delivery table 14. A preferred mechanism is shown herein which comprises a sprocket 17 rotatably mounted above table 14 by means of a shaft 19. A corresponding sprocket 20 is mounted above table 11 upon a shaft 21 and a suitable conveyor 22 is mounted upon the sprockets 1'7 and 20. As illustrated in the preferred embodiment, the conveyor may comprise a plurality of individual link members 24 pivoted together to provide a continuous belt.

At definite intervals, certain link members are provided with outwardly extending arms or pins 25 secured to the links substantially perpendicular thereto. Since the caps are fed to the machine in inverted position so that the cover portions may be polished and the arms 25, when in downward position at the lower side of the conveyor, are adapted to engage the skirt at the forward portions of the caps and transfer them across the polishing disc to the delivery station. A pulley 26 is attached to the shaft 19 connected to the main drive mechanism by means of a belt 27 to drive the conveyor 22. It will be noted that the sprocket 17 drives the sprocket 20 of the conveyor mechanism. In this manner,

if the belt is operated in counter clockwise direction, as indicated by arrows A, the lower side of the conveyor is the tight side and thereby extends above the polishing means at a uniform height.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, a suitable bar member 28 is mounted resiliently above the lower side of the conveyor 22 by means of spring members 29 and extends along the length thereof to hold it down, whereby the pins 25 are held positively in engagement with the caps being conveyed across the polishing means. The spring members 29 are preferably mounted upon suitable bolts 18 attached to the bar 28, which are slidably disposed in apertures provided in supporting members 23, extending transversely with respect to the conveyor and bar member 28. The bolts 18 are provided with adjustable nuts 33 adapted to limit the downward movement of the bolts 18. The supporting members 23 are preferably secured, at each end, to the portions 43 of the members 45 extending across the polishing means, which are adapted to provide means for mounting a casing 37 about the conveyor 22. This casing is adapted to enclose the conveyor 22 and will be described in detail hereinafter. By utilizing the above devices, it will be readily seen that the lower side of the conveyor 22 is always held down at a uniform distance along the entire length thereof. Any tendency of the conveyor to slacken, buckle or move upward is eliminated, whereby the pins 25 always remain in engagement with the caps while being transferred through the polishing machine. The springs 29, through the intermediation of bar 28, facilitate uniformly resilient engagement of the caps by means of the pins 25.

In addition to polishing the caps, the present invention aims to remove dust or foreign substances from the inside of its being deposited on the polishing disc. This may be accomplished by encasing the machine as shown in the drawings. The rotating disc 5 may be enclosed by means of members 30 and 31 (Fig. 3), suitably secured to the base casting at 32 and to the table castings 9 and 14 by bolts 34. Extending from the table 9 to table 14, a casing 35 is bolted to the machine in any desired manner, and, preferably, comprises two split castings having a space therebetween to permit the conveyor 22 to extend therethrough. The member 35 provides a channel 36 for the caps and means for mounting a U-shaped casting 37 to enclose the conveyor 22 and the associated pulleys 1'7 and 20 (Figs. 3, 4 and 5). Preferably, the mechanism is completely enclosed, except at the ends of the channel 36 where the caps enter and leave.

To further provide for the exclusion and removal of dust from the caps and the machine, a suitable chamber 33 is attached to or cast integral with the casing 35 near the incoming end thereof. A conduit 33 is attached to the chamber 33 and is operatively connected to a source of vacuum such as a suction fan, or, if desired, the dust may be removed by a suitable blowing device. The chamber 33 extends substantially over the articles being delivered and increases the effective area of the dust removing device.

To facilitate the removal of the dust and to permit the circulation of air, a plurality of apertures or air ports 39 are provided in the proximity of the chamber 33. Any dust carried into the casing by the caps, or scraps of paper from the liners of the caps, will be exhausted and removed I the caps and prevent before the caps reach the polishing means, thuseliminating the contamination thereof, and, in addition, making the caps more sanitary.

In order to guide the caps through the polishing machine, a pair of suitable members 40 are provided, having horizontal flanges 41 adapted to engage the upper sides of the caps, and downwardly depending portions 42 for engaging and guiding the sides of the caps. The guide members 40 extend substantially from end to end of the machine, and are mounted upon the casing members in any suitable manner. A preferred method of mounting the guides is illustrated in the present embodiment by providing members 35 at intervals with upwardly extending portions 43 having suitable apertures or slots 44 (Fig. 2), wherein downwardly extending stud bolts 45 are inserted and threaded or otherwise secured to members Suitable lock nuts 46 are threaded to the upper end of bolts to adjust them in the slots 44. Suitable coiled spring members 47, on the bolts, resiliently maintain the guides 40 in their lower position. The purpose of the spring members is to permit the guide members and bolts to move upwardly a slight distance, if necessary, and to maintain uniform pressure on the caps independently of the wear on the sheepskin. It will be noted that the mounting means may be readily adjusted to permit the guide members to accommodate caps varying over a suitable range of both height and width. The upwardly extending portions 43 also form extensions upon which the members 23 may be mounted.

For operating the polishing and transferring devices, a drive mechanism 48 is provided, which may be geared directly to a motor 49 by speed reducing gears 50, 51, 52 and 53 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3). Gear 53 is mounted upon a shaft 54, which extends through suitable bearings in the base of the machine. At the middle portion of the shaft 54, a bevel gear 55 is secured which meshes with a corresponding bevel gear 56 (Figs. 1 and 3) connected to the lower end of the shaft 4 whereby the disc 5 is rotated. The free end of shaft 54 is provided with a pulley 57 adapted to drive the pulley 26 by means of the belt 27 to operate the cap transferring conveyor 22. If desired, suitable means, as illustrated at 60, may be provided for adjusting the slack in belt 27.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 2, there is shown a detecting arm 61 pivoted at 62 upon table 14 and provided with roller 64. As the caps, which have been polished, leave the machine, they oscillate the arm 61' which operates a counting mechanism (not shown) by means of the rod 65 connected thereto. If it is not desired to count the caps at this point, the counting mechanism may be omitted.

In the operation of the machine, after starting the motor to rotate the disc 5 and the conveyor 22, the caps are fed in single file and in inverted position to the receiving table 11. This may be accomplished by a belt conveyor which delivers the caps from the forming machine. If desired, the caps may be inspected before they enter the machine, whereby imperfect caps can be dis carded prior to being polished. As the caps slide upon the table 11 between the guides 40, the projecticns 25 of the conveyor 22 engages the inner side of the skirt of the caps and convey them to the polishing disc 5. While passing across the disc 5, which is being rotated at a suitable speed, the cover portions thereof are cleaned and polished by the polishing means 7 mounted upon the disc. The guides 40 hold the caps in position so that the arms 25 of the conveyor 22 are effective to move the caps forward until they reach the table 14. If desired, the caps may be counted by means of the detecting arm 61 which operates a counting mechanism, the projecting fingers of the conveyor force the caps to pass the detector. As the caps reach theend of the table 14 they are permitted to slide down the chute 15 to a suitable shipping carton or conveyor which delivers them to the next manufacturing operation. In most instances, if the caps are counted they are finished when they leave the polishing machine and are ready to be packed, Any dust deposited within the caps or within the polishing machine is removed by means of the exhaust conduit 38 connected to a suitable air circulating device.

It will be noted that the present invention provides for polishing caps varying over a large range in both height and width. The guides 40 may be adjusted to accommodate various sizes and styles of caps before the machine is operated. If desired, additional links having extending arms thereon, may be inserted in the conveyor depend-' ing upon the size of the cap. This facilitates the handling of a larger number of caps having a small diameter, without speeding up the rotation of the belt conveyor 22, and thereby decreasing the polishing period.

It will be seen that the present invention provides an improved wiping and polishing machine adapted to clean caps of varying sizes, The machine can be operated inexpensively to effect the automatic handling of the caps with little or no manual supervision. The exhausting means keep the interior of both the caps and the machine free from dust or other impurities, thus making the caps more sanitary and prolonging the life of the polishing means. The resiliently mounted table 11. guides 40 and conveyor retaining bar 28 prevent caps from jamming while in transit through the machine and insure engagement and delivery of the caps. This also eliminates clogging of the caps, which might necessitate shutting down the machine. The machine is simple in operation and rugged in construction, and fully capable of withstanding the rough usage to which it may be subjected.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts of the above embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention, all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a machine of the class described. the combination of a rotatable polishing table, a conveyor having radially extending members connected thereto adapted to move articles such as closure caps across said rotating table, a pair of spring mounted members for guiding the caps across said polishing table, and for pressing the caps against the polishing table, and a member resiliently mounted above said conveyor adapted to hold said conveyor down whereby said radially extending members on said conveyor are held in engagement with said closure caps.

2. In a machine of the class described. the combination of a table adapted to receive closure capsand the like in inverted position, a rotatable polishing disc adjacent to said table, a delivery table opposite said receiving table and adjacent to said disc, members to fit about the sides of the caps to guide them from said receiving table Elli! across said rotating disc to said delivery table, and transferring devices partially extending into the interior of the caps for conveying the caps along said guide members.

3. In a cap polishing and cleaning machine, the combination of a receiving table, a horizontal rotatable disc member having a substantially smooth covering thereon for polishing caps, means for transferring articles from the receiving table across said rotating disc, and means forming a guideway for guiding said articles and for pressing said articles against the polishing disc.

4. In a cap polishing machine, the combination of a rotatable member adapted to polish the caps, mechanism having cap engaging fingers thereon for engaging and moving the caps across said polishing member, and means for pressing said cap engaging fingers downwardly in engagement with the caps.

5. In a cap polishing machine, the combination of a table adapted to receive closure caps and the like, a rotating polishing disc, a conveyor having engaging means thereon for conveying the caps across said polishing disc, and resiliently mounted means above a portion of said conveyor for holding said cap engaging means downwardly to insure positive engagement with the caps and movement of the caps across said polishing disc.

6. In a cap polishing machine, the combination of a table adapted to receive closure caps and the like, a rotatable polishing member, a pair of sprockets mounted at opposite sides of said polishing member, a conveyor chain on said sprocket member having members thereon adapted to engage and convey the caps across said polishing member, a bar extending over a portion of the lower strand of said chain, and means for resiliently mounting said bar to press said chain toward said polishing disc to hold said engaging members in engagement with said caps.

7. In a cap polishing machine, the combination of a table adapted to receive closure caps and the like, a rotatable polishing member adjacent said table, guide members extending from said receiving table across said polishing member for guiding closure caps, means for resiliently mounting said members to press said closure caps against said polishing member as they pass along said guideway. a pair of sprockets, a chain on said sprockets having extensions thereon adapted to extend into said guideway to move said caps therein, a bar extending over the lower strand of said chain, and means for resiliently mounting said bar to press it against said chain to hold said extensions in engagement with said caps.

8. In a machine of the class described, the combination of members resiliently mounted to form a guideway and to receive closure caps and the like, a rotatable table beneath said guideway for polishing the caps passing therethrough, means for moving the caps along said guideway across the table, said resiliently mounted guideway members being adapted to press said caps against said polishing table.

9. In a cap polishing machine, the combination of a rotatable table adapted for polishing caps, a pair of guide members mounted above said table, and a conveyor having means thereon extending downwardly between said guide members adapted to engage the interior of said caps to move them across said polishing table.

10. In a cap polishing machine, the combination of a rotatable member having means thereon suitable for the polishing of caps and the like, a pair of guide members mounted above said table, a conveyor chain having members thereon extending into said guideway for engaging the closure caps to move them across said polishing member, a bar extending over said chain adapted to hold it in proper position and to prevent said extensions from disengaging the caps during their passage along said guideway.

11. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a rotatable member having a fiat surface with a polishing material thereon, guide members mounted above said disc member, a continuous belt mounted above said guide member and radially projecting members mounted on said belt, said projections extending downwardly between said guide members to engage and press closure caps downwardly and to move the closure caps acrosssaid disc member.

12. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a receiving table, a rotatable polishing table adjacent to said receiving table, means for rotating said polishing table, a delivery table adjacent to said rotatable table and diametrically opposite said receiving table, resiliently mounted guide members extending from said receiving table above and across said polishing table and over said delivery table for pressing the caps downwardly, a conveyor having downwardly extending pins attached at intervals thereto for engaging articles and transferring them along said guide members, and means for operating said conveyor.

13. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a receiving table, a rotatable polishing member adjacent to said receiving table, means for rotating said polishing member, a delivery table adjacent to said rotatable member and diametrically opposite said receiving table, resiliently mounted guide members extending from said receiving table above and across said polishing table and to said delivery table, said guide members being adapted to guide closure caps across said polishing member and to press said closure caps against said polishing member during the movement thereacross, a conveyor having downwardly extending pins extending between said guide members for engaging articles and moving them along said guide members, and resiliently mounted means for holding said pins in engagement with the closure caps.

14. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a rotatable polishing member, a conveyor having members connected thereto adapted to engage and move articles such as closure caps across said rotating member, a pair of spring mounted members for guiding the caps across a polishing member and for pressing said articles against said polishing member, and a drive mechanism for operating said conveyor and rotating member.

15. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a casing, a guideway for conveying caps in inverted position through said casing, a conduit in said casing at one side of said guideway adapted to be connected to an aircirculating device, said casing having a plurality of air ports substantially adjacent to said conduit and on the other side of said guideway whereby air is passed across the guideway and into the interior of the caps to remove foreign substances therefrom.

16. In a machine of the class described, the combination of .a rotatable member adapted to polish closure caps and similar articles, a guideway extending across said rotatable member adapted to guide closure caps with their cover portions in engagement with said rotating member, means for moving the closure caps along said guideway, a conduit at one side of said guideway adapted to be connected to an air circulating device, a plurality of air ports on the other said of said guideway substantially adjacent to said conduit whereby air is passed across the guideway and into the interior of the caps to remove foreign substances therefrom.

17. In a cap polishing machine, the combination of a polishing member adapted to be retated, means forming a guideway for caps, means for engaging and moving caps along said guideway over said rotatable manner, a cover extending over the guideway having apertures therein at one side of said guideway, a vacuum conduit attached to the cover on the other side of said guideway for drawing air through said aperture and over said caps to remove the scraps of paper and other objectionable matter therefrom.

18. In a cap polishing machine, the combination of a polishing disc adapted to be rotated, means forming a guideway for caps, means for moving said caps along said guideway in inverted position, a cover extending over the guideway, apertures in said cover at one side of said guideway adjacent one side of said disc, a vacuum conduit attached to the cover on the other side of said guideway for drawing air through said apertures and over the interior of said caps to remove scraps of paper and other objectional matter from the inside of the caps.

19. In a cap polishing machine, the combination of a polishing member adapted to be rotated, a pair of spaced members forming a guideway across said polishing member, means for resiliently mounting said pair of members to press the caps in the guideway against said polishing member, a conveyor chain having pins thereon extending between said guide members to engage and move caps therealong, means for resiliently holding said chain in position with respect to said guideway, a cover extending over a portion of the guideway, a vacuum conduit attached to the cover on the other side of said guideway for drawing air through said apertures under the conveyor chain, over the guideways, and over said caps to remove scraps of paper and other objectionable matter from the inside of the caps.

20. In a cap polishing machine, the combination of a rotatable member having a resilient polishing covering thereon and guideways' for guiding caps across said rotatable member, said resilient polishing covering being adapted to retain the caps in and to press the caps against said guideways.

21. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a receiving table, a delivery table, a rotatable disc adapted to polish closure caps mounted between said receiving table and said delivery table, a pair of members adapted to form a guideway for closure caps extending from said receiving table across said rotating member to said delivery table, means for resiliently mounting said guide members to press the closure caps in said guideway against said rotatable member.

22. In a device of the class described, the combination of a rotatable disc, having means thereon for polishing closure caps and the like, a pair of adjustable members extending across said disc adapted to form a guideway for closure caps, and means for resiliently pressing said guide members toward said disc to press the caps in the guideway against the disc.

23. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a receiving table, a delivery table, a rotatable disc adapted to polish closure caps mounted between said receiving table and said delivery table, a pair of members adapted to form a guideway for closure caps extending from said receiving table across said rotatable member to said delivery table, supporting means extending across said rotatable disc and attached to said delivery table and said receiving table for supporting said guide members, a plurality of depending bolts for securing said guide members to said supporting means, said bolts being adjustable in length for determining the lower position of said guideways, and resilient means for retaining said guideways in their lowermost position, said supporting means having elongated slots for receiving the upper ends of said bolts and for permitting them to be adjusted laterally to permit the guide members to accommodate caps of diiierent sizes.

24. In a device of the class described, the combination of a rotatable member having means thereon for polishing closure caps and the like, a pair of members extending across said rotatable member adapted to form a guideway for closure caps, supporting means for said pair of members, a plurality of depending bolts for attaching said guide members to said supporting means, said bolts being adjustable in length to determine the lowermost position of said guide members, said supporting means having slots therein for the reception of the upper end of the bolts to permit said bolts to be adjusted laterally to fix the position of the guide members for caps of difierent sizes, and springs on said bolts for pressing said guide members downwardly to force the closure caps against said rotatable member.

25. In a cap polishing machine, the combination of a rotatable member having a resilient polishing covering adapted to polish the caps, and a mechanism having engaging fingers thereon for engaging and moving the caps across said polishing member, said resilient covering being adapted to hold the caps in engagement with said fingers.

26. In a polishing machine, the combination of a rotating disc with polishing material thereon, a conveyor for caps having depending fingers adapted to engage the cap, and means for resiliently pressing the fingers toward the disc.

27. In a cap polishing machine, the combination of a rotatable member having a resilient polishing covering thereon, and a pair of guideways extending across said rotatable member, means for engaging and moving the caps along said guideway, said resilient polishing covering being adapted to press the caps against the guideways.

JOHN C. GIBBS. 

